Albania's government has defended its decision to allocate €4 million ($4.6 million) from its reserve fund to support a Kanye West concert in Tirana, as the rapper faces widespread outrage over past comments glorifying Hitler and selling swastika T-shirts.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
Culture minister Blendi Gonxhja said the funding was approved through a normative act and did not come from the country's emergency fund or divert money from hospitals or public programmes. "There is nothing illegal about this decision," he said.
The concert, scheduled for Saturday, required a purpose-built structure on the city's outskirts planned to host 60,000 people. Local media have reported ticket sales have fallen well short. Gonxhja acknowledged the event had initially been presented as self-financed but said the government intervened to prevent cancellation, which would have damaged Albania's image.
"The success of a concert is not only measured by revenue from ticket sales," Gonxhja said, citing estimated tourism benefits.
Opposition, arts community react angrily
Prime Minister Edi Rama is facing criticism from opposition figures and artists over the funding. The announcement comes as daily protests demanding Rama's resignation, first sparked by a planned resort linked to President Donald Trump's family in a protected nature reserve, spill into a second month.
A group of creatives protested outside the ministry on Thursday. Andi Tepelena, a contemporary art curator, told AFP: "Albania has many emergencies and priorities" but Rama chose instead to fund an artist who "supported fascism, antisemitism and justified slavery."
West has caused widespread outrage with comments glorifying Hitler, a song titled "Heil Hitler" and the sale of T-shirts bearing a swastika. He has since denied being antisemitic, attributing his remarks to bipolar disorder.
